[opendtv] Re: What effect will a prolonged strike have on HDTV and viewing habits?

Craig wrote:
It is ironic that the writers are striking to get a share of the revenues from the new medium - the Internet - and as a result of the strike they could be driving viewers to the net. Then again, many feel that the conglomerates are trying to break the back of the union, and this is probably the exact outcome that they want.
Ultimately, I think the congloms realize that they may be able to make more money charging people directly for the shows they want to watch, than depending on reaching large audiences for advertisers. OR, they may feel that the Internet is a better vehicle for advertising, allowing them to insert targeted ads for each viewer, for which advertisers will pay a premium over shot gun advertising.
Personally, if I paid for every program I would be less likely to fall asleep within 20 minutes, each time I sit down on the sofa in the evening to watch TV.
If you think of a la carte as "pay per channel," then "pay per view" is a potentially even more lucrative logical step. Not PPV as we have known it, but in the truest sense of paying for every program you watch. I agree with the sentiment that I would be less likely to fall asleep in the middle of a show if I had specifically ordered and paid for it. For some of us who only have a few favorite 'must watch' shows, it might even make our monthly bills cheaper.
It may take awhile before Internet TV watching is commonplace, but meanwhile there's VOD through the set-top box, for those who don't yet have the ability to display and control content from the internet to their living room display. Either way, advertisers have got to love the targeted ad possibilities. Viewers might love it too, if the cost per show is low enough and the ads are fewer and/or more relevant.
On a few occasions, we have watched ABC shows piped directly from abc.com to our HDTV and audio system in the living room via the media center PC. Video quality would have been better if I had remembered to set the DVR or the PC to record those shows in HD from my local ABC affiliate -- but the loss of image quality and being forced to endure a relatively small amount of advertising was worth it vs. the alternative of missing those episodes.
Pretty disruptive to the already strained network-affiliate model, but to the end consumer it's a very welcome benefit to have these new options -- to the point where I'm looking forward to the day when all the networks offer something like this. 

-- Frank


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